Dr. Lee McGaan  

  Office:  WH 308  (ph. 309-457-2155);  email lee@monm.edu
  Home:  418 North Sunny Lane (ph. 309-734-5431)

Spring 2012 Office Hours:   MW: 9-10am, 11am-1pm & 3:15-4pm;   Fri: 11am-1pm; & by apt.  |   copyright (c) by Lee McGaan, 2006-12


last updated 12/1/2011

SYLLABUS

Unit I - Some Contemporary Media Theory

Tues. 8/23

 Intro to the Course - What are "The Media?" Who is a Journalist?  What is their impact?    |    The Unknown Citizen".

Thurs. 8/25

 Citizenship and Communication - Jim Leach on Political Speech   |   Key Media Concepts   |   Flagging the Text

Tues. 8/30   Two Big Ideas I: History, Politics, Media.      |     II, ch 1  &  Haynes
Unit II - Traditional News Media - "Free" Content
Thurs. 9/1

Two Big Ideas II:  Technology + $ --> Content

Tues. 9/6

What is NewsMyths  |    II, ch 2  & Robinson

Thurs. 9/8

News as Persuasion?    |    II, ch 3    |    ABC World News web site

Tues. 9/13

Bias!    |    Paletz

Thurs. 9/15

Influences on the News and Public Opinion    |    II, ch 4

Tues. 9/20

Influencing News Content.    |     II, ch. 5

Thurs. 9/22

Analyzing and Interpreting News - Critical Reception.  |  Analysis Paper due

Unit III -  Advertising - "Paid" Content

Tues. 9/27

How Opinion Shifts  

Thurs. 9/29

Advertising for Influence.  |  Intro to Team Projects -  Information Evaluation Assignment introduction 

Tues. 10/4   What Ads Reveal  |   II, ch 6   |    Review and Overview.
Thurs. 10/6    EXAM 1

10/8 - 10/11

                FALL BREAK

Thurs.. 10/13

Advertisers' Goals  |    |    II, chs 7   |    Exam Wrap

Tues 10/19

   Politics, News, Ads.   |  II, ch 10    

Thurs. 10/20

"Information Evaluation" Assignment -- Team Oral Reports - ALL Teams 


Unit IV -  Media/New Media!  Information Literacy and Decisions

Tues.  10/25

The Internet and "New Media" -- Web 2.0    |    II, ch 9
Introduction to Team Media/Information Literacy Project 

Thurs. 10/27

Problem Solving Agendas

Tues. 11/1

Wisdom, Information and Democracy

Thurs. 11/3    Deliberation and Discovery of Information - READ Infotopia, ch. 2 (handout)   |   Flagging the Text
Tues.   11/8

Decisions and Problems  |  Groupthink

Thurs. 11/10

What is Information?  What is Information/Media Literacy   |   II, ch 11 

Tues.   11/15

Information Literacies, con't  |  Team Workday

Thurs. 11/17

Information Literacy Programs presented |  Teams:  Team 1 & Team  3

Tues. 11/22

Information Literacy Programs presented |  Teams:   Team 2  & Team 4

 11/21 - 12/2

Media/Info Literacy Programs may have out-of-class times scheduled

11/23- 11/27

Thanksgiving Break

Tues.   11/29

The Self-directed Citizen 

Thurs. 12/1

Defining Citizenship

Tues. 12/6

Review - A New Paradigm of Social Structure and Citizenship? 

 

Final Exam:  8am, Friday, December 9

 

NOTE:  Additional readings, viewing and homework will be assigned occasionally from handouts distributed in class, by links in this syllabus, electronically by Email or on the INTG 415 Web Site .  Texts and additional readings may become the basis for "participation" grades, quizzes, and homework; therefore students must constantly remain aware of these reading/viewing assignments and complete them before the assigned class meeting.